


Ace in the Hole

by acefusti138



Category: Camp Camp
Genre: David/OC bc I'm trash, F/M, Fluff, and David is so pure and I love him, bc after s2e12 I think we all need some love, dadvid ftw, idk be never done a self insert fic before but it looked fun, lots of cursing it is still camp camp, max might be a little ooc but this takes place after s2e12, no major spoilers tho if you haven't seen it, pack a toothbrush kids it's all fluff and no pain, rating will go up in later chapters and dadvid will happen eventually, so much fluff it'll rot your teeth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-12-25 13:01:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12036417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acefusti138/pseuds/acefusti138
Summary: After being driven out of the flower scouts for not being "lady-like", Ace becomes a co-counselor at Camp Campbell. With David. Who she definitely does not have a crush on. Absolutely not. Never in a million years....Well fuck.





	1. Hit the Deck

"Hit the deck!" Ace yelled at the small group gathered in the activities field.

It was Neil's day to show off his science camp, and David had the bright idea to let the kids try experimenting with chemical reactions to see who could light a piece of wood on fire first. But what was supposed to be simple and harmless reactions somehow turned into smoke-making camp. Max, Nikki and Neil had managed to already detonate a few different smoke bombs of varying severity, and had taken most of all three counselors attention. But while Gwen and David was trying to contain the rest of the campers from getting hurt in the thick smoke, Ace was left dealing with the minor fire caused by a misfired smoke bomb of Nurf's creation. Just as the fire was put out, she spotted Harrison and Nerris getting into an argument over fire spells and their reliability, right in front of another unfinished smoke bomb.

"Fire spells are weak! Sparks work way better!" Harrison claimed loudly, snapping his fingers and grinning when the fuse to the smoke bomb was lit.

Dropping the fire extinguisher in her hands, Ace pushed both children out of the way and to the ground just as the smoke bomb went off, mostly full of soot instead of smoke. She felt the heat from the explosion against her back, burning part of her green counselor shirt while she shielded Nerris and Harrison.

"Are you two okay?" She asked as soon as the smoke cleared, coughing from the smoke and sitting up slowly, immediately scanning both of them over for any injury.

"Let's do it again!" Harrison cried, hopping up and dusting himself off.

"Yeah Ace, you were like a level ten mage!" Nerris beamed, looking at the blonde excitedly, standing up as well and rushing over to Harrison to think of how to recreate the bomb. _Thanks for protecting us Ace! We're safe Ace! Not that hard._ The blonde grumbled internally. Getting up slowly and wincing at the soreness in her knees and hands from the force in which she had tackled Nerris and Harrison out of the way, she went to retrieve the fire extinguisher, when she saw David running up to her.

"Ace! Are you alright?!" He asked, instinctively grabbing her by the shoulders and scanning her over for any damage. The contact immediately caused scarlet to color her freckled cheeks, and suddenly she was very glad soot was smeared over her cheeks.

"I-I'm fine, David. Thanks," She cursed internally at the stutter, but tried to smooth it over with a cool recovery. "–but a helping hand would be nice." She said, motioning to the rest of the undetonated smoke bombs littering the tables. David's eyes lit up and he released her shoulders, nodding and running off to do just that.

Fifteen minutes later, after the last of the smoke bombs were properly disposed of and any residual fires had been dealt with, Ace trudged passed the mess hall with a box of the chemical containers to see Gwen chewing out Max, Nikki and Neil. From what she could pick up from the snippets of conversation, it was along the lines of "someone could have gotten hurt!" and "you could have set the camp on fire!" But she had an inkling that it was really because Gwen's hair had nearly been caught on fire in one of the smoke bombs. _Hallelujah on that one. This shirt is gonna need major repair._ Ace noted, as seeing she had taken a fair deal of fire and smoke damage herself, mostly to her clothes and the bandana holding back her bangs. Once she reached the storage closet behind the mess hall, she set the storage bin down, moving to unlock the door to the storage room.

"Ace, you doing okay?" All but squawking in surprise and jumping a good two feet in the air, Ace angrily turned to see who had snuck up on her.

"Who the fuck—?!" She cut off upon seeing David, who was looking down at her, a small frown of concern replacing his usual, large, overly cheerful smile. The younger counselor went bright red in embarrassment.

"Oh! Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you! I just wanted to make sure you were alright. You looked pretty dazed earlier." The redhead chuckled sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.

"It's okay. I'm just out of it. Remind me not to let you be in charge of activities involving chemicals." Ace sighed, lightly rubbing her temples and feeling a headache start to surface. Another frown marred David's usually cheerful face at that.

"How about you go clean up? I can finish up from here, go get a shower and some fresh clothes. Gwen and I can handle dinner if you can set up a campfire and prepare for s'mores." The taller male offered, smiling warmly at her. Ace's eyes went wide in surprise, before relaxing visibly in relief.

"Are you guys gonna be okay without me for a while? Knowing Max, he'll probably try to strike when our numbers are low." She asked, not wanting to be the weak link of the three counselor's.

"We'll be fine Ace! Don't worry about us, go cool off and take care of yourself for an hour. Camp Campbell can't run at a hundred-percent if it's counselor's aren't at a hundred too!" He smiled brightly, placing a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. She dropped her head at that, knowing when it came to that damn smile she was weak enough; the bit about Camp Campbell just sealed the deal.

"Alright, I'll be in the cabin if you guys need anything. I'll have my ringer on, just text or call if you guys need anything, okay?" She said firmly, trying not to feel disappointed when his hand left her shoulder so she could make her way towards the cabin. As she was walking, she suddenly stopped, hearing the door to the storage room open and clearing her throat. "Hey David," She called, turning towards him for a moment. The redhead looked up curiously from where he had been reaching down to grab the box on the ground. "Thanks." She blurted, catching a glimpse of his sincere smile and quickly turning back around and walking back to the counselor's cabin, very glad she was far enough away that he couldn't see that the back of her neck and the tips of her ears were bright red.

Despite the sub-par plumbing, the shower Ace had upon reaching the cabin was easily one of the best shower's she had ever taken. While drying off once she finished up, she let her mind wander. It almost immediately gravitated back to camp; first came the thought that she owed it to Gwen and David for letting her take a bit of time to herself to relax and freshen up while they took care of everything else. Deciding a few anonymous pieces of art making its way into her room would be more than enough for Gwen, she found herself stuck on what to get for David. Sweets? _No, Nurf would decimate those before David even found out they were there._ She shook her head, starting to dry her hair and sighing. Maybe a wood carving? _Max would find it and shatter it or carve a dick into it before I could finish it._ Dammit, it was too hard for her to think of something to get for him when all she could think about was his ocean green eyes staring into her own and the light dusting of freckles across his sun-kissed checks and how his eyes crinkled every time he gave that heart-melting smile–

"Well fuck." She said aloud to no one in particular, turning off the hair dryer and standing up straight to bury her head in her hands. She had barely known him two weeks for fuck's sake! She had crushes in high school that didn't start this early! Grabbing her clothes and shoving them on a little too forcefully, she stopped, and leaned against the wall, burying her head in her hands again and groaning loudly. She tried to let her mind go back, trying to figure out where it started. Had it been when she had gone into the wrong door while half asleep in the middle of the night last week after taking Nerris to the bathroom at one a.m., and found David sound asleep with his shirt ridden up and sheets kicked off from the high humidity? Or when he had caught her after nearly slipping and falling off the dock at the lake two days later? _I am not helping myself._ She mentally scolded herself, standing up straight and going to the sink, splashing cold water on her face and smacking herself on the cheeks with both hands. "Get a grip Ace, you've dealt with a crush before in the workplace. You can do it again. And without getting removed from said place this time." She said firmly to herself in the mirror, giving herself a hard glare before nodding and gathering her things to leave the girl's restroom. What she didn't notice, however, was the bushy head of black hair underneath the netted window that allowed steam to exit the room instead of a proper window.

"Did you hear her?" Nikki whispered excitedly to Max, Neil rolling his eyes but nodding in agreement.

"No Nikki, I wasn't right here next to you the whole time." He sighed, Nikki snickering at that.

"Would you two shut up? This shit it golden! If David finds out he won't know what to do! That idiot wouldn't know what to do with a woman if it was standing right in front of him!" Max laughed, already plotting how to reveal this new information in the worst way possible.

"Ahem." Ace stood in front of the bush, the shadow from the setting sun darkening her face. She pulled Max up by the hoodie, hissing in annoyance when he began to thrash and try to bite at her arm.

"Lemme go you bitch! I've got dirt on you!" Max cried, kicking at her arm and managing to land a decent kick.

"Ow! Max, stop that! You know you aren't supposed to be over here anyways! God, David and Gwen are probably trying to find you!" She scolded, hearing the bush rustle and seeing Nikki and Neil trying to escape, quickly scooping them both up with her free arm. "Oh no you don't. All three of you will help me set up the campfire. I don't know what all you heard but keep your mouth's shut, you hear me?" She said firmly, walking towards the fire pit with them still in tow.

"What's in it for us?" Max bit out, crossing his arms as relaxing slightly when Ace put him down, knowing she would pick him back up if he tried to run and reluctantly walking in step with her. Nikki and Neil did the same, albeit unhappily.

"You get first dibs on dessert for a week, and I will get you out of all camp activities for three days and cover for you." Ace sighed, starting to gather firewood from the pile and stacking it accordingly in the fire pit.

"Deal."

"Done."

"Hell yeah!" All three of the problematic children in the trio agreed immediately, Nikki cheering excitedly. "This has gotta be your best plan yet Max! We outta go snooping more often!" She cried happily, Ace twitching in annoyance.

"I don't think so. If I find you guys outside of the counselor's cabin again, I will make all three of you go on food runs with Gwen at four in the morning." She warned, all three stiffening a little at that. With that issue settled, she sighed, now that the firewood was assembled she just needed to get the stuff for s'mores and a lighter, and they would be good to go. "Alright, come with me. I'm dropping you guys off at the mess hall while I get stuff for s'mores." She explained, leading them back to the mess hall and ignoring their gripes of complaint.

Once Max, Neil and Nikki were back with the other campers in the mess hall, Ace retrieved the necessary items from the kitchen, humming softly to herself and going back to the fire pit, lighting the fire and setting up everything. David and Gwen came out minutes later with the camper's, helping everyone get marshmallows on sticks and setting up the graham crackers and chocolate.

"Alright guys, so, scary stories, or songs?" David asked cheerfully once everyone was settled with their s'mores, already reaching for his guitar hopefully. A loud chorus of 'scary stories' shot down his hopes though, and he smiled brightly. "Alright, we'll save songs for tomorrow then! Now, who wants to go first?" He asked excitedly, letting Erid go first upon seeing her raise her hand and everyone immediately lower their hand so she could go first. It was nearing lights out by the time everyone finished, and Ace had managed to subtlety move closer to David without noticing, as they were both on the same log and each story brought David to her side screaming at every vaguely unnerving part. Yawns we're starting to make their way around the circle of campers, and even the blonde felt herself starting to grow drowsy, giving a small yawn and unconsciously leaning against David. It seemed David hadn't noticed either, engrossed in Space Kid's tale of space pirates that seemed to be a rip-off of Spaceball's more than a horror story. Ace didn't even notice herself dozing off until she felt a gentle hand on the small of her back keeping her steady, and a few snickers coming from around her.

"Alright guys, off to go wash up then straight to bed. And I'm on door duty tonight, so no sneaking into the girl's bathroom Nurf." Ace could hear Gwen saying to the campers, but was much too tired and sore to acknowledge it. But she did notice the hand on her back, keeping her steady on the rotting log and the warm, solid body she was eating against. It smelled of pine, woodsmoke, and strawberry shampoo, and distantly of poorly made smoke-bombs. Only once she heard the shuffling and grumble of the campers going to get their toiletries from their tents and Gwen following after them did she feel the body she was leaning on move, a small noise of protest escaping her before she could stop it.

"Five more minutes..." She mumbled, still not fully awake and clutching to the soft material of the shirt she was leaning on to, before realizing their was a vest she was holding onto as well. Upon realizing it was David she was currently all but clinging to half, she jolted awake, nearly jumping out of her seat and rushing out apologies a mile a minute, her face flushed bright red and only the fire to hide it this time. "Shit, shit, I didn't mean to fall asleep on you David, oh fuck I'm sorry—!" She blurted, not noticing the look of disappointment that flashed in David's eyes for a moment before a smile returned to his face.

"Hey, it's alright Ace! You've had quite the day, it's no problem at all! Gwen's got bathroom and tent duty tonight, so you can get some much needed sleep." He grinned brightly at her, and for a moment Ace wondered what she had done in a previous life to deserve someone so pure.

"R... Right. Yeah. Okay. And I'm. Uh, I'm sorry, again, about falling asleep on you. I didn't drool on you, did I?" She asked, before mentally smacking herself. _Who the hell asks that?!_

"No, you didn't. But even if you had I wouldn't mind." The redhead reassured, and Ace felt her heart skip at the completely judgement-free smile he gave her.

"Y-yeah. I'm, uh, gonna head to bed now. Goodnight David." She managed to get out, before turning and quickly making her way to the counselor's cabin. Upon reaching her room, she flopped down into her bed, and screamed into her pillow.


	2. Cliff Jumping is Stupid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Camp Camp crew decide to go on a nature walk and go cliff jumping into a lake afterwards. Max hates water, Ace feels like shit, and David's last name could secretly be Hasselhof.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> probably gonna update up to chapter 3 tonight bc I've been working on this fic for a while and just now got around to publish it?? idek

Breakfast the next morning was uneventful for the most part, but Ace woke up feeling like death boiled over, nearly falling back asleep before David burst the door to her room open. "Good morning!" He said cheerfully, his smile nearly as bright as the sun trying to peek its way through her heavy curtains. "Coffee's gonna get cold if you don't wake up!" He hummed, yelling at the pillow getting chucked at his head in response.

"I have an alarm for a reason David." Ace grumbled, before looking at her phone alarm and seeing that her ringer had been muted, and going off for the past twelve minutes. ".... Give me five minutes." She groaned, David laughing at that and exiting her doorway.

She made her way to the mess hall half-asleep, grabbing the cup of coffee Gwen provided her and chugging it in one gulp, ignoring that it was lukewarm and completely black. She sat down at the counselor's table, grabbing her clipboard and yawning while looking over everything. Luckily, being a co-counselor meant she and Gwen switched out for some duties every day, and Gwen had gotten breakfast today, which she was grateful for.

Once all the campers had been served, David and Gwen came over, Gwen looking about as tired as Ace was while David looked like he had been up for hours, which, knowing David, he probably had been.

"Alright, so, what's on the agenda for today?" David asked brightly, looking over the clipboard for notes. Ace sighed, looking over her own notes and yawning.

"Hiking to a cliff then cliff jumping to the lake underneath it." She said dully, her coffee not having helped as much as she wished it would have. "Then after lunch they've got free time for about two hours, then Preston has a play tonight." She added, absentmindedly grabbing a piece of burnt toast and munching on it, despite it having nothing on it.

"Right! I've got lunch duty today, Gwen, can you take the campers out to get their canteens filled up?" David said happily, Gwen nodding and standing up, wrangling the campers together and leading them to the water pump outside of the mess hall to fill up their canteens. Once David and Ace were alone, David cleared his throat. "You feeling okay?" He asked, noting Ace looked a pit pale.

"M'Fine, don't worry. Cold coffee just takes longer to kick in than hot coffee." She laughed dryly, rubbing her eyes and brushing back her short blonde locks haphazardly. "But we should probably head out before it gets too hot. Don't need anyone fainting halfway through the hike." She said, standing up and stretching, her neck and back popping loudly at that.

The trek through the woods was pretty boring, David leading the group and trying to keep everyone cheerful with camp songs and pointing out landmarks and foliage as they went. Gwen was in charge of keeping everyone together, not wanting anyone to escape back to camp and wreak havoc, while Ace was in charge of keeping everyone orderly; i.e., breaking up fights. Nerris and Harrison had gotten into an argument with Neil, and Space Kid tried to butt in with some obscure space fact, to which Max had shoved him into a tree and cracked his fishbowl in response for ruining his entertainment.

"Alright! Here we are! Now, the cliff is twenty feet up, and the water is about fifteen feet deep, so it's plenty safe to jump into!" David chimed happily, the campers promptly shedding their camp clothes and jumping off the cliff into the water, doing different tricks and such. Nerris, Max and Neil had chose to sit out with Gwen, David and Ace, who were now at the base of the lake with everyone's things, setting up lunch and watching the campers swim. Ace had slowly been growing more and more tired, internally hoping she wasn't coming down with a cold of some sort. Ignoring that thought for the time being, she called everyone back in for lunch and distributed plates and napkins for the campers.

"Alright everyone, so, we'll be making our way back to camp in about an hour, so finish up with lunch and get your last jumps in now!" David chimed halfway through lunch, not getting much of a response over the chatter and sitting back down, assuming everyone had heard him. As the campers started to go back into the water, Gwen stood up, stretching and yawning. "I'm gonna use the bathroom, be right back." She informed her two co-counselor's, David and Ace nodding in acknowledgement. Of course, not two minutes after Gwen left, Dolf came up to David asking to use the restroom, which left Ace alone to watch everyone else.

And it's always with no help that trouble strikes.

Nikki had been trying unsuccessfully to convince Max to jump in the lake since they got there, and after a combination of taunts from Nurf and Space Kid doing a cannonball into the lake that had gotten a cheer from everyone else, Max gave in. Of course, halfway up the cliff side to the top, he decided it wasn't worth his time, and tried to go back down. But the rocks were mossy and slick, and with one false step, he was slipping down the rough rocks into the water. A loud scream escaped him before he crashed down into the rockier side of the lake, a large splash following suit. Ace jolted up from her spot on the ground near everyone's things, seeing Max and rushing towards the lake. He was flailing near the cliff-face, trying to clutch to some of the rocks at the base, near the much deeper area of the water.

"Fuck— Max, I'm coming!" She called, diving into the water without a second thought and hissing at the cold water that hit her. The lake was a lot rougher against the face of the cliff than it was at the shore, choppy and harsh against her. Max was still trying to cling to the rocks, his hands scraped and bleeding, barely keeping himself above the water.

Once she reached the boy, Ace grabbed hold of him, a much stronger swimmer and grabbing onto the cliff-face with a bit more ease. Once she had a proper hold on him, she held him close, feeling her heart ache at the violent trembles wracking through the ten year old. "I've got you, it's okay." She soothed, Max looking up at her with one of the most terrified expressions she had ever seen on the young boy. He suddenly looked much more his age. She could see the other campers running to get David and Gwen at the base of the lake, but that was a good thirty feet out, and she was tiring quickly. "Alright, Max, I need you to hold on to me as tight as you can, okay? Don't let go of me unless David gets to us, alright?" She said firmly, Max nodding weakly and clinging to the soaking wet material of her shirt.

Using the wall as a way to propel herself out, Ace held onto Max with one hand, swimming with the other and trying her best to keep Max above the water, knowing he hated going underwater more than anything else. But her strength was sapping quickly against the harsher current of the inner lake, and that was becoming apparent to Gwen and David. David seemed to make a split second decision before diving into the lake as well, swimming towards the two with ease while Ace was at this point struggling against the current, slowing to focus on staying above water for Max's sake and panting heavily.

"Ace! Max! Are you two alright?!" She could hear David, and within seconds could see him making way to them, covering ground through the current much faster than she had been. "Stay right there!" Within a minute the redhead had reached them, not looking winded in the least and taking Max from Ace, checking him over before nodding to Ace. "Can you make it back?" He asked, Ace nodding. Now that she didn't have to worry about keeping Max above water, it was much easier to swim back.

While David had kept pace with her at first on the swim back, Ace was starting to fall behind once more. She was panting and frequently taking small breaks, her clothes feeling as if they were made of lead with only noddle-limp arms and legs to drag them along. David hadn't even seemed to notice how far behind his co-counselor had gotten until he reached shore, and given Max to Gwen to check him over.

"Ace, are you alrigh–" The redhead turned to face the blonde, only to find her not there. An odd feeling of panic began to creep up his throat and he turned to the water, where he could see the younger counselor partially holding onto part of an eroded rock, looking unnaturally pale and a good few yards a from the shallows yet. Realizing something was very wrong, he dove back in, finding the blonde barely conscious and struggling to keep her head above the water. She had gotten caught in rusted, old wire tossed in the lake as garbage while resting, the metal stuck around some of the metal in her hiking boots, the wire eroded and encrusted in the seabed twenty feet below the surface.

Cursing under his breath, David dove under, working quickly to untangle the stubborn wire from Ace's boot and finally freeing her after nearly a minute, pulling the younger woman up with him, holding her close as she coughing and wheezed, finally able to hold her head above the water and clinging to him for support.

Ace heard a soft whisper of "I've got you. Just breathe," and then her world blurred to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kinda short whoops oh well chapter 3 will be more from David's perspective  
> catch me on tumblr acefusti138.tumblr.com/ come say hi I'm always there!!


	3. Cozy Cabins are Nice When You're Sick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ace wakes up to David carrying her, the campers being too loud and Max being a little shit. As normal. But David is starting to realize he cares a lot more than previously acknowledged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is kinda half and half, Ace is focused on in the first half but then by the end it's mostly focusing on David bc we haven't got to see a whole lot of his side of the story yet :^)

Ace awoke to something warm wrapped around her, and someone carrying her on their back, muffled voices ringing in her ears around her.

"Are you gonna call the ambulance?" She could hear Nerris lisping in front of whoever was holding her, then could hear Gwen sigh and tell her 'no' for what was obviously not the first time.

"Man, that was so cool David! You saved her!" _Was that.... Nikki?_

"He wasn't gonna let her drown Nikki, of course he was going to save her." _That was Neil, maybe?_

"Oh, I am definitely changing the play! The theater lives for this type of drama!" Definitely Preston, if the harsh throb in her temples was anything to go on.

"Ngh.... Guys.... Not so loud...." She croaked, her voice raw and wet like she had a bad cold. Speaking seemed to be a bad idea though, because she started to cough breathlessly against the damp shirt in front of her, barely able to catch her breath and sniffling weakly once she finally managed to calm down.

"Take it easy Ace. You really had us scared," _Oh god, was David the one carrying her?!_ She was never going to live this down. "We're almost back to camp. Gwen's got the rest of the campers, I've got you and Max. We need to make sure you two are okay." Now that the younger boy was mentioned, the 22 year-old could feel bushy wet hair against her cheek, and briefly wondered if David was carrying both of them at the same time.

"M'fine.... You don't need to make a fuss." Ace tried to protest, only to start coughing again, a lot harsher this time and making Max stir below her. It seemed like David was carrying the ten year-old in his arms.

"Ace, you passed out and you have a fever. I don't really think that qualifies as 'fine'." David pointed out. Ace didn't respond to that, huffing tiredly and resting her head back on his shoulder.

"Are you two done flirting up there or should I vomit now?" Max deadpanned from David's arms, Ace going bright red and thanking the stars David couldn't see her face from here.

"Max, for once can you keep your nose in your own business?" Ace groaned, Max chuckling at that.

"I'm gonna take that as a no, you were not done." He snickered, David sighing at the two.

"Guys, don't fuss. Max, what me and Ace talk about is none of your concern, and we counselor's do have a right to our own lives outside of Camp Campbell." The redhead scolded lightly. Max just rolled his eyes, clearly not caring in the least about what David was saying and trying to tune him out.

The rest of the walk back to camp was comfortably quiet, the rest of the campers had naturally gotten ahead while David was a bit slower, as carrying two people did present its challenges. Once they did reach camp, he dropped Max off at the first aid tent where Gwen checked him over, while Ace was brought to the counselor's cabin, David carefully sitting her down on the couch and pressing his hand gently against her forehead. "You're still pretty warm, let me change into some dry clothes and get some for you, and then we can see about some chicken noodle soup and a warm bed." He chimed, Ace giving a tired nod and subconsciously leaning against his hand, missing her comfortable spot on David's back.

David looked over her for a moment, as if making sure it was okay for him to leave her in such a state alone, before turning to the bedrooms and grabbing some fresh clothes for them both. He was only gone for five minutes, but by the time he came back she was curled up on the couch, half-asleep and had pulled on a jacket he had left there from the last time it had rained.

He couldn't help but smile softly. She had worked herself sick just for the sake of a camper, something even David had managed but a few times in his many years of being a counselor at Camp Campbell. _But enough dawdling,_ he thought, _she needs dry clothes, food and a warm bed._ He didn't want to wake her up again, and she seemed completely out of it, her eyes open but clearly asleep. So he did the next best thing; he scooped her up gently into his arms, making sure not to jostle her and carrying her back to her room.

The older counselor couldn't help but notice how much lighter she was compared to Gwen, who he had carried on his back robbed after she stayed up all night watching trashy movies, and Gwen was a healthy, strong young woman. Ace seemed worryingly light, then again all she ever seemed to do was eat snacks and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, never anything of substance.

"...David?" Ace mumbled from her spot against his chest, her eyes bleary and glasses over. "Why are we in your room?" She asked drowsily, David going pink at the cheeks.

"Huh? Oh, uh, well, my room is closer to the kitchen in here, I was going to leave you in here while I make your soup so I won't be too far if you need anything." He smiled reassuringly, when in reality had had zoned out and subconsciously brought them to his room.

"Oh... Mkay.... Can I borrow your sweater? Mine's still in my bag..." She mumbled, tugging at the windbreaker she was already wearing and closing her eyes again. She seemed to be dreaming, since all of her jackets and sweaters were hung up in her closet and she hadn't brought any bags.

"That's fine. But you should get some dry clothes on. These wet ones will just keep you sick." David suggested, carefully placing her down on the rather uncomfortable mattress and gently untangling her hands from their grasp on his shirt. He placed the dry clothes and a fluffy towel next to her, giving a warm smile. "There ya go! I brought you pajamas, more comfy than standard camp gear." He hummed brightly.

"Thanks." Ace nodded, taking off David's jacket and starting to pull off her shirt, a little too feverish to realize he hadn't left the room and was basically watching her change.

David went scarlet, covering his eyes with his hands and quickly turning around. "A-ah! Ace, I'll uh, go start on the soup, okay? Call me if you need me." He rushed out, before walking out of the room and nearly banging into the side of the doorframe, his eyes still covered and yelping in pain when he did hit the corner of the frame with his elbow.

As soon as he reached the kitchen, he slunk down against the dingy, fake wooden cabinets, face buried in his hands. She was too adorable for her own good, and he was in deep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOO BOY DAVID GOT A CRUSH TOO THE PINING BEGINS also the sweater thing did happen to me, used to have a huge crush on the head supervisor of my job as a ride operator at a theme park. I wore his sweater twice even though it was like 3 sizes too big for me and he didn't notice I took it any of those three times it was great  
> catch me on tumblr acefusti138.tumblr.com/ come say hi I'm always on there!!


	4. On the Head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ace wakes up, David is stubborn and Ace cries. Isn't this backwards?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy shit I've been busy with "@Camp_Campman Created a Group Chat" and almost forgot this baby! But worry not, a new chapter is here, finally!!

Ace awoke to too-hot sheets and the smell of soup. Her mind was fuzzy and her face felt much too warm, her short hair plastered to the back of her neck with sweat. A small whine of discomfort escaped her before she heard the door open, a familar shock of red hair peeking through the doorway before David entered the room, holding a large bowl of steamimg soup and a cup of tea.

“Good morning. Well, afternoon, I should say. I made you some soup and tea. How are you feeling?” David asked, smiling warmly at her and placing the bowl and cup at the nightstand next the bed.

“It feels like I took a nap in a sauna.” Ace mumbled nasally, sniffling harshly and groaning in annoyance. “I fucking hate being sick.” She added, slumping back against the pillows and momentarily forgetting she only had on David’s sweater and a small pair of gym shorts.

David flushed, quickly looking away to preserve Ace’s privacy. She was sick, he had no right to try and take advantage of that, inclyding what she was wearing. “R-right. Well, I can get you some Aspirin to help with the fever, and offer my bed so you won’t have to move.” He smiled again, Ace looking up at him miserably.

“Are you sure? It’s your bed, mine is just across the hall…” She frowned, moving to sit up properly and starting to cough wetly, her voice quickly going raw. “Jesus…” She huffed under her breath, sniffling again and wiping the tears in her eyes that came from how much she had been coughing.

“Here,” David offered her a few tissues, a warm smile across his face but concern clear in his eyes. “And that proves it. I’m not going to kick you out of my room when you’re sick as a dog. I can sleep on the couch in the den.” He reassured. Ace took the tissue and blew her nose, but gave him a hard, watery glare.

“Absolutely not. My bed across the hall is perfectly usable. Don’t sleep on that shitty old couch when there’s a bed across the hall.” She said firmly, even though her voice cracked and died towards the end of her sentence. David sighed, placing his hands on his hips.

“That’s your room, I don’t want to invade your personal space.” He argued, Ace deadpanning at that.

“I’m literally doing the exact same thing in your room right now, David.” She ppinted out, David giving a small shrug.

“I don’t mind!”

“Well I don’t mind if you use my room! And you go in there all the time to wake me up.” She tried to protest, David lightly shaking his head and giving her another tissue when he noticed snot was starting to run down her nose without her noticing.

“That’s different. Waking you up and sleeping in your bed isn’t the same.” He tried to explain, Ace moving to stand up and placing her hands on her hips after wobbling unsteadily for a moment.

“David, I will walk back to my room right now.” She said stubbornly, David frowning and trying to sit her back down, instinctively reaching to catch her when she swayed again. _My room isn’t messy, and I don’t have anything embarrassing in sight. I don’t get why he’s being so stubborn! I’m giving him permission!_ She thought angrily, her face flushed red.

“Ace, alright, alright, I’ll stay in your room, please just lay back down before you get hurt!” David said worriedly, gently grabbing her shoulders and sitting her back down on the bed. Ace made a noise of protest, back as soon as she was sitting again she slumped forward, David’s hands on her shoulder’s keeping her up for the most part. “See? Just calm down, okay? Gwen has the campers under control with the Quartermaster, so I can help. I’ll go get a cold washcloth and some Aspirin, just relax and try to eat and drink a little, we don’t want you dehydrated with a fever.” He said soothingly, helping her lay back down and tucking her back into bed. Ace was too tired to protest, instead just crossing her arms and pouting quietly.

This was why she hated being sick! She was babied and not taken seriously. She could take care of herself dammit! And yet, as soon as she sat up and took the cup of tea David had made her, he came back into the room, making her yelp in surprise and jolt the cup in her hand, spilling tea all over herself and the sheets. “Shit!” She cursed loudly, David’s eyes widening as he rushed over to help her.

“Oh gosh, Ace are you okay?! Goodness I didn’t mean to scare you, I knocked on the door and you didn’t respond so I thought you might have dozed back off!” The 24 year-old blurted, placing the half-empty cup back on the table and helping Ace out of the tea-soaked sheets. Her legs were already reddening, lightly burned from the hot tea, along with the lower half of David’s sweater.

She was sniffling, her eyes watering heavily and lower lip quivering.

“I’ll just go get some fresh sheets and aloe for the burns, we’ll get ya all patched up in no time!” David rambled on, his back turned as he folded the soaked sheet as not to get tea all over the floor. He turned back to her for a moment, only to drop the sheet and sit next to her, hugging her against his side. “Hey, hey, what’s wrong? It’s alright, we’ve got more sheets and I still have a full kettle of tea on the stove. It’s okay.” He soothed, rubbing her arm gently and frowning when she buried her head in his shoulder, starting to cry and shake against him.

“I-I’m so fucking useless…! I couldn’t save Max, i-if you hadn’t shown up we both would have drowned, I-I got sick and I-I’m making you take care of me, I-I took your room a-and clothes and I’m got tea all over them both..! I just make problems….!” She hiccuped, David pulling her closer and rubbing her back with his free hand.

“I don’t think so. I see someone who cared until she was exhausted. No one is perfect Ace.You have to let yourself rest and make mistakes! Otherwise you get stressed and upset and sick. It’s okay to be imperfect.” David reassured, Ace peeking up and sniffling harshly, seeing the stain she had made on his shirt and whimpering a weak ‘sorry’. “Hey, hey. No more apologizing. You don’t have to, you didn’t do anything wrong. If you need to cry, cry. No judgement here. I cry for what may seem like silly reasons, but it’s just what we sensitive people do.” He gave her a warm smile, and Ace’s heart throbbed, another weak sob escaping her.

“C-can… You stay?” She hiccuped, pushing her head back against his chest and sniffling when he gave a soft hum.

“Of course. I’ll stay as long as you need me to.” David nodded, gently rubbing her back while she cried to her heart’s content, making small note of how she had her ear up against his heart and was partially in his lap. She ended up half asleep after twenty minutes, only stirring when David shifted. “Shh, it’s alright. We should get you some clean clothes and sheets, and some aloe for those burns.”

“O-oh. R-right. Sorry.” Ace croaked, realizing how uncannily similar this was to her job at the theme park when she was 17. That alone made her heart ache, and she reluctantly started to move out of David’s arms, pausing for a moment to hug him a bit tighter. Then she felt something soft, just barely there across the crown of her head. A small pressure, and then David let her move, the younger counselor only realizing what it was when David went to go get new sheets and clothes for her.

He had kissed her on the top of the head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if no one could tell these scenarios are based off of things that happened to me over this summer, it's a long story but if anyone really wants to know I could talk about it for hours!! if you wanna know the real story catch me on tumblr acefusti138.tumblr.com/ or comment! Comments and kudos make my day!! Have a wonderful day lovelies!!


	5. The Banshee Crew of 2017

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is very text heavy and kind of a tear jerker. Have some tissues on hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very emotional chapter for me, and I really wanna thank my beta Jenny for helping me with it. I love you boo!!

He hadn't really meant to kiss her on the top of the head. It had been instinct, something he had done without a second thought. A reassurance he was still thinking of her while he went to collect some fresh clothes and aloe.

But as soon as he left the room, and the reality sunk in, he felt his face flush deep scarlet, up to his ears and creeping down his neck, his yellow "bandana" suddenly uncomfortably hot against his neck. He went to the joined bathroom that Ace and Gwen shared, turning on the cold water and splashing his face to cool off a little.

He didn't need Ace worrying that she got him sick.

"Keep it together David." He said firmly after scrubbing his face with the cold water and drying off his face with the towel at the side of the sink. He had a bathroom on his side of the cabin, as it was built to accommodate four counselor's total. Gwen and Ace had agreed to share the bathroom so the possibilities of embarrassing run-ins were minimized.

He found the aloe, and only after a good minute of standing outside of the door to Ace's room, opened the door to get her some clothes. Only then did he realize he had no idea where she kept her pajamas, or any of her clothes for that matter.

Hesitantly going to the dresser, he opened the first drawer on the top left. Socks, balled together and organized from biggest to smallest in size, and by color.

_Cute._ He thought, grabbing a fuzzy pair of socks that seemed to have Stitch from Lilo & Stitch all over them. Closing the drawer, he opened the one underneath it, finding pajama pants ranging from flannels to practically gym shorts, all of them folded neatly and by size.

The third drawer on the left held pajama shirts, and he decided a pair of well worn flannel pajama pants went best with a very well loved looking grey shirt, that still looked much too big for Ace's slight form, the words a very faded darker gray, that he assumed used to be black. He could make out an odd symbol, it looked familiar, but was too faded to really tell. He closed the drawer, and went to the right side, hoping to find sweaters.

His luck seemed to have run out on the right side.

The first drawer was of sports bras and tank tops, and he felt his face flush bright pink. He quickly shut the drawer, shaking his head and taking a deep breath. The middle drawer, however, seemed to hold his doom.

As soon as he opened the door, he was met with a very haphazard, messy drawer, unlike all the other drawers. Simple, cute panties and plain bras were mixed inside, almost all of them matching sets. Most were just polka dots and stripes, but a few had little designs like roses or cute flowers. His eye caught a pair of pink panties with little strawberries all over them, and for a moment felt his soul leave his body.

He was going to hell, he was going to hell and he was going very, very deep into hell, he kept repeating in his head as he grabbed the panties and matching bra, closing the drawer and letting out a very long, deep breath.

"Sweater. She needs a sweater." He said to himself, trying to remember his original mission and kneeling to the bottom drawer on the right. Upon opening it, it held the coveted prize of his mission, carefully folded sweaters and jackets in the drawers depths. He picked up a grey sweater he saw Ace wear often during chilly nights, the folds of the sweater falling to gravity and letting a slip of paper flutter to the ground. Blinking in surprise, he picked up the photo, realizing it was a Polaroid picture.

It was well worn, and upon looking at the date scribbled in Ace's handwriting, he realized it was from what must have been her senior year in high school. The picture itself was of a group of people, hugged together in the rain under what seemed to be a camp shelter, Ace smiling brightly enough to light up the picture. She was up against an older male, hugged against his arm while he was looking at the camera, a slightly older looking girl beneath her and hugging Ace's leg. There was water damage on the corners of the picture, and had tape on the edges to keep it from fraying. On the bottom, in very tiny scrawl, read something odd.

"Banshee Crew, 2017.... Banshee?" David read it aloud. The name was familiar, then he realized it was on the lanyard Ace always carried her keys on. She had lost the lanyard once, and had literally all but torn the camp apart to find it, and when Max returned it the next morning awkwardly, after seeing Ace come into the Mess Hall that next morning with her eyes nearly swollen shut and shaking so hard she nearly spilled her tea, she had locked herself in her cabin for the rest of breakfast.

David moved another sweater over, finding a small scrapbook of sorts at the bottom of the drawer. It seemed to be about the same age as the Polaroid, and he removed it carefully from the drawer, opening it curiously.

The first two pages were jam packed with pictures, Polaroids and stubs of the same group of people from the Polariod. It all seemed to be in front of the same roller coaster, a magnificent blue and purple inverted coaster. In every picture, Ace was smiling bright enough to blind the sun, her freckled cheeks reddened in the sunlight and harsh tan lines on her ankles, thighs and arms where her uniform ended. Many were of the crew smiling, laughing or at other roller coasters in what he assumed was the same park. The next two were much less crammed, but were mostly of the ride itself. "Banshee" seemed to be the ride, and it was confirmed when he saw a picture of what seemed to be the main entrance of the ride with the same symbol as her lanyard on the concrete wall in front of it. There was information from what was probably the park's information map pasted into the pages, that it was a world record breaking coaster, it's time and how fast it went. The year it opened, the history behind it... Everything.

The final two pages he got to made his heart stutter and stop for a moment.

The pages were brittle with dried water, splotchy stains that had dried and redried over time. The man from the Polaroid that Ace had been hugging was featured in most of the pictures, taped in with packing tape to keep them dry, while the other side of the page had very angry scribbles and stained harshly with more of the dried water over photographs that looked like they had been crumpled then pasted in. He could vaguely make out the title of what he assumed was another ride, "Mystic" something. There was an oddly burned, charred piece of paper glued onto the page, and upon closer examination he recognized it as the classic format of a witness statement.

Only when his eyes reached the bottom of the page and saw the ink-bled words did he realize what the page was, his eyes widening and an odd ache of horror washing over him.

It was stained with dried tears, of a job it seemed Ace had been taken from much too soon.

He swallowed the odd lump of emotion in his throat, turning to the next page on autopilot and finding pictures of Ace in a different uniform, her face pale and unsmiling in every picture. She was wearing a striped shirt now, and her eyes had deep bags under them in every picture, they always looked puffy and red, and her normally bright blue eyes dull and glassy. And then, on the left last page, was a singular photo, of Ace, much younger, next to who he assumed was her father, wearing the same grey shirt he now held in his arm, braces on her teeth and her hair much longer, standing in front of the same concrete wall that held the name of the ride. The date underneath read April 2014, and he blinked in surprise. Then, on the right, was a Polaroid of what seemed to be the amusement park as a whole, with her hand flipping off the direction of the park and a date of August 2017 scrawled messily on the bottom of the photo. Underneath that read the caption that made David's heart give another skip.

" _Goodbye, my paradise._ " He read aloud, feeling his lower lip quiver and closing the book carefully, placing it back where it had been.

He closed the drawer, sat back on his heels, and stared at the Polariod still in his hands. With shaking fingers, he turned it over, finding another caption on the back. He covered his mouth to hold back a sob, breath stuttering in his chest.

_The Banshee Crew, my world!- March, 2017  
The Banshee Crew, the last time I was happy in this world. Goodbye.- August, 2017_

Tears spilled over his hand, and once the began it was hard to make them stop. He had no idea what had happened to Ace over that summer, but it was clear that the world may have been very, very close to losing her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, this chapter is very, very emotional for me. It's incredibly hard to think about even all these months later, but writing it helped me cope. Yes, the Polaroid and scrapbook exist, Banshee is a real ride.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David really needs to learn how to fucking knock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I should have tagged this as a slow burn fic bc that' she basically what it is lmao. ALSO A HUGE SHOUTOUT TO MY BETA JENNY WHOM I LOVE SO VERY MUCH SHE DREW ME DAVID AND ACE ART AND IMM CRYING??!??

When David finally managed to pull himself together and stand up from the worn hardwood of the cabin floor, he placed the small Polaroid of Ace’s former crew on her nightstand, wiping his eyes and cheeks with his bandana and letting out a deep breath.

“Alright David, act natural. She had those hidden for a reason, and she has a right to her privacy. She can talk about it when she wants to.” He said to himself, giving another deep sigh before standing up straight and puffing out his chest, trying to act as confident as he needed to be.

He grabbed Ace’s clothes from the ground and left the room, going back across the hall and knocking lightly on the door. “Ace, may I come in?” He called, hearing a bit of shuffling behind the door and then a hoarse call of _'Yes!'_  from inside.

Opening the door revealed Ace wrapped in a spare blanket that David kept in his closet, most likely the source of the shuffling noise he had heard. “I got you some clean clothes.” David informed brightly offering them out to her.

Ace blushed, taking the clothes from him and hugging them to her chest. “Sorry, I should have told you where they were. You didn't have any trouble finding them, did you?” She asked, reluctantly unfurling from her ball under the blanket and standing.

“Not at all. You may want to put the aloe on before anything else so it can dry.” The redhead pointed out, Ace nodding in agreement and going to get the aloe.

“Uh… David, where is it?” Ace asked slowly, David’s face coloring pink in embarrassment.

“I must have forgotten it in your room when I got your clothes.” He laughed sheepishly. “I’ll go grab it. Be back in a jiffy!” He went back to Ace’s room, grabbing the aloe off the floor and making sure he hadn't dropped anything else in his haste. He crossed the hall again to his room, not thinking to knock as the door was slightly ajar. “Got it Ac—” He cut off, his face going deep red and the bottle falling from his grasp and clattering loudly to the floor.

Ace stood there, clad in only the matching bra and underwear David had brought for her, her flannel pants in her hands and falling to the floor with a soft flutter. Her mouth was gaping in shock and her face quickly flooded deep scarlet. Her hands went to cover herself, and a high pitched squeak escaped her. Before she could do anything, David turned on his heel and closed the door, sliding down the side of it very slowly.

Time seemed to go on forever and not pass at all, the door opening behind him and making him fall flat on his back. He stared up at Ace, who was now fully clothed and giving him an unreadable look. “Are you okay?” She asked slowly, clearing her throat softly.

“Yes. Uh, yes, I’m fine, sorry. Sorry about that.” David babbled mindlessly, his face still flushed deep red. Ace sighed, helping him stand up and going back to the bed, sitting down and crossing her arms.

“Ace, I’m so so–”

“It’s okay David, I don't mind. You didn't do it on purpose.” Ace reassured, motioning for him to sit down in front of her. David did so obediently, clearing his throat and not looking her in the eye. “I probably should have closed the door.” She admitted, giving a sheepish smile.

“I should have knocked Ace, I take complete responsibility for this.” David bowed his head in shame, Ace huffing and rolling her eyes.

“David, stop apologizing.” She said firmly, grabbing his cheeks and trying to ignore how his face flushed deeper under her hands. “I. Am. Not. Upset.” She said slowly, staring him dead in the eye to get her point across. David nodded in understanding, Ace sighing in relief and releasing his cheeks, leaning back a little tiredly.

It was quiet for a few minutes, and it wasn't uncomfortable, but finally David had enough of said silence and shifted a little, clearing his throat.

“What’s the picture on your shirt?” He asked, before mentally smacking himself. So much for not bringing up what I found. He scolded himself internally, Ace looking at him curiously.

“This? Oh, it’s my favorite t-shirt.” She said simply, giving him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. “It’s from an old ride at an amusement park I lived by growing up.” The blonde added, running a hand through her messy short locks out of nervous habit.

“What was it called?” _Shut up David._

Ace hesitated for a moment, a mix of emotions crossing her face before it settled on false relaxation. “Banshee…. The world’s longest inverted roller coaster.” She hummed, fiddling with the threadbare hem of the shirt.

“Isn't that the name on your lanyard?” David asked, his mouth seeming to run on autopilot while he was internally screaming _Be quiet! Stop talking! Do not continue to speak!_ to him. 

“Yeah… It was my favorite roller coaster in the park. This shirt was given out when it first opened, my Dad and I went that day,” Her eyes were glassy, but she seemed truly happy for a moment. “It’s actually kinda funny. We had snuck into the parking lot at 7 AM through the entrance my dad used to ride the bus downtown. The park opened at 9:30, we waited in the car for an hour and we were in line waiting for the park to open for another hour and a half. We were on the real train, third car out. By the end of the first hour of the park being open, the line to ride was over 7 hours long.” She explained, a warm smile crossing over her freckled cheeks.

“Yeah… It was my favorite roller coaster in the park. This shirt was given out when it first opened, my Dad and I went that day,” Her eyes were glassy, but she seemed truly happy for a moment. “It’s actually kinda funny. We had snuck into the parking lot at 7 AM through the entrance my dad used to ride the bus downtown. The park opened at 9:30, we waited in the car for an hour and we were in line waiting for the park to open for another hour and a half. We were on the real train, third car out. By the end of the first hour of the park being open, the line to ride was over 7 hours long.” She explained, a warm smile crossing over her freckled cheeks.

“Ace?” David asked warily, the blonde not seeming to notice him and sniffling softly.

“That ride was so fucking perfect…” She croaked, her voice thickening with emotion and eyes shining with water. David stood up, gently taking her by the shoulders. Her eyes met his, and she sniffled, biting her lip. “Did the picture fall out when you grabbed the sweater?” She asked quietly, David biting his lip similarly and nodding.

“Yeah… It did.” He admitted, Ace turning away from him and quickly wiping her eyes.

“Sorry you had to see it…. I didn't have anywhere safer to put it.” She croaked, wiping her eyes again furiously with her hand.

“Why not in the scrapbook?” David asked, before wishing he hadn't opened it. Ace looked at him, tears spilling over her rosy cheeks and a weak sob escaping her.

“D-Did you read all of it?” She whimpered, David nodding sheepishly and making a noise of apology. That seemed to seal the tears, and she dropped her head, starting to shake and cry quietly. “I loved them so much David.” She wept, David unsure of what to do to console her. So he did what he knew best; hug.

He pulled Ace back into his arms, letting her cry to her heart’s content. She kept repeating she didn't want it to end and that she had done her best, David making quiet shushing noises to her and quietly reassuring her that she had done her best.

It took almost ten minutes for her to calm. When she did, David grabbing a tissue and gave it to her. Ace whimpered again, wiping her eyes and blowing her nose. David’s heart ached, and when she looked up, eyes bloodshot and glassy with her lower lip trembling and flushed red from being bitten, he felt an odd surge of emotion wash over him. She licked her lips to try and ignore the stinging pain that was coming from the bitten area, and David’s control waned.

Her lips were still incredibly soft against his, bitten, salty with tears and all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE BITCH THIS IS WHY I DIDNT TAG IT AS SLOW BURN also cliffhangers are fun when it's about romance :3c Also this fic if being tagged on Tumblr as "#fic: Ace in The Hole" you can see the super cute art Jenny drew me there!! Bye lovelies!!


	7. Take a Breathe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ace needs to learn how to breathe and not babble, David is embarrassed and Max needs to learn how to hide his hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit almost 200 hits on this I'm??? So?? Grateful?? Thank you everyone !! Also a huge shoutout to my beta Jenny, who has inspired me to create a series of this story!! Ace in The Hole may be wrapping up soon, but another series will be coming out soon after!!

Ace could count on one hand the times she hadn't been the first one to initiate a kiss, and none of any of those previous ones were ones she could say she had enjoyed.

So this was a first.

David pulled back after a few seconds, his face colored pink up to his ears. He stared at Ace for a moment, who stared back at him unblinking, her mouth gaping and eyes wide. For a moment, David mistook her shock as disgust, before he noticed her freckles growing less pronounced as her cheeks flushed similarly to his own.

“Ace?” He whispered, hesitant to break the spell that had fallen over them under the guise of silence.

“Y-Yes David?”

“May… I do that again?”

“Y-Yeah.” She whispered, curling her fingers into the soft material of David’s shirt as he leaned forward and kissed her again. This one was much less rushed, more of an exploration of each other’s feelings, rather than a direct notion like the previous kiss had been. There were no gory details to be told; it was innocent and tender, no urgency coming through on either end. When Ace finally had to break away for air, she flushed deep scarlet, looking up at David expectantly. She had no idea what to say, and this was the part David hated about suddenly declaring how you felt to another person. This was usually when the author in the story would put a convenient timeskip well after all the nitty-gritty details were worked out and the relationship was running smoothly.

If only the real world could do that.

“I… Um… Yeah,” David laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck and giving the blonde a nervous grin. “So… I think I like you.” He said dumbly, Ace nodding mutely in agreement.

“Same,” She mumbled in half-a daze, before realizing what she had said. “Uh, I mean, I like you too! I mean I don’t not like me but I really like you and oh god I’m rambling I should just shut up now before you decide I’m annoying–”

“Ace,” The younger counselor cut herself off, looking up at him with wide eyes, just as flustered as he was. “Breathe.” David instructed, the blonde taking a deep breath and nodding.

“Right, right. Sorry. I just got really flustered and—”

“Ace?”

“Yes David?”

“You’re doing it again.” David smiled at her, Ace giving a small smile and giggling quietly.

“Sorry. I babble when I get nervous.” She admitted, looking away and starting to fuss with the hem of her shirt to distract herself. David didn’t blame her, he was just preoccupied with holding her by the shoulders, and at this point he didn’t want to let go of them and break the atmosphere. There was no camp to worry about for a few hours, no campers and no Gwen to avoid, and no expectations except help Ace feel better. Yeah, there had probably been way more tears included than was necessary, but Ace was the only one on Lake Lilac who cried more than David did, something she took as a compliment.

“David?”

“Yes Ace?”

“What does this make us?” Ace didn’t want to be the one to bring it up, but she didn’t need awkwardness where it wasn’t necessary. She hated unwanted advances or someone getting the wrong idea from a single event, and didn’t want to impose those same feelings on someone else if she could avoid it.

David bit his lip. He had been trying to dance around that question if he could, not for lack of interest mind you. He had the same fear that Ace did, not that either counselor could read each other’s mind. “Um… I could ask you the same.” He gave her a weak smile. _Dodge the question, let her answer first. Don’t make her feel obligated to feel something she doesn’t to avoid awkwardness._

“I asked you first.”

_Gosh darnit._ “Um… Well, I don’t… Have whole lot of knowledge in this area,” He admitted, removing a hand from her shoulder to scratch the back of his neck. “But… I would enjoy being with you,” He finished lamely, giving her a weak smile. “I usually have all the words in the world, but not around you… Crazy, huh?” The smile that broke over Ace’s face was easily the second most shocking thing he had seen that day, and he had seen a lot.

“I babble way too much when I like someone. I think that’s where all your words went.” She giggled, David giving a soft chuckle back at her at that and leaning down to press a small kiss on her cheek. Her skin was still damp with sweat and she still had drying tears on her cheeks, she was feverish and had half her hair plastered to her neck or forehead, and still David couldn't help but think he had found Aphrodite in the flesh.

And then he saw the shock of bushy black hair under the windowsill.

_Well fudge. This is a load of hooey._

“Max, I see you out there!” He called, Ace stiffening and turning her head to face the window. There was a rustling underneath the bush, then a hushed whisper of _‘Scatter!’_ before three different blurs of colors sprinted out in different directions.

“Max….!” Ace stood up, rolling up her flannel pants and pulling on her shoes, ignoring how awful she looked.

“Woah, woah, Ace, you’re still sick! I can handle Max, Neil and Nikki. You need rest.” David protested, Ace silencing him with a hard glare.

“David, they were snooping on me when I was in the showers the other day. I warned them there would be consequences if they were caught again.” She said firmly, her voice leaving no room whatsoever for argument. David sighed, knowing better than to argue with her once she had her mind set on something.

“Alright, alright. I’ll go for Nikki and Neil, I can cover more ground. You go for Max.” He instructed, Ace nodding and pulling on David’s tea-stained sweater, not wanting to damage her prized shirt and sweater with dirt. They left the cabin and Ace went in the direction of Max, while David went in the general direction of Neil and Nikki, finding Neil within minutes and Nikki soon after. Seems they hadn't gotten very far.

Max, on the other hand, was a different story.

It took Ace nearly ten minutes to find him, and by the time she did she was exhausted, holding the young boy by the hoodie and wheezing for air while he struggled.

“Put me the fuck down!” He hissed, Ace ignoring him for a moment before dropping his hoodie so she could put both of her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath, her face flushed red and sweaty. She had dead-sprinted into the forest when she saw a flash of his blue hoodie, and Max had given her a good chase before her longer legs caught up to him.

Once Max was free, he was about to make a break for it, when he saw her wobble unsteadily, her body trembling with exertion. “Ace?” He hesitantly approached her, unsure what was wrong with her and not wanting her to pass out on him.

“Y-you… A-are _very_ … F-fast Max. Y-you were… Pa-paying attention… In… O-our track course.” Ace panted, looking up at Max, who looked oddly worried.

She heard a muffled yell of her name, one from in front of her, and another from behind Max, then felt the ground embrace her and the world go black.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shitty cliche cliffhangers are great when the main character is sick :^)


End file.
